“You must be Akkal,” I say with a bright smile.
“Akkal, this is June,” Zivren offers.
He looks nervous, as if I might attack his child and bite his little ear off at any moment. What kind of shitbags is he used to dealing with?
I bend down and gesture to the toy Akkal’s holding. “Who’ve you got there?”
His voice is a whisper as he says,“Soppoqninki.He is the leader of theBweenorwarriors.”
I gasp in awe. “Wow, he must be pretty tough then, huh?”
Akkal nods.
“I don’t know,” I tsk. “Do you think he could beat me at arm wrestling?”
Akkal giggles, his little nose scrunching up tight. “What is arm wrestling?”
“Oh, it’s a gas. Let me show you.” I lead him over to the two-person table between the kitchen and the living room, and have him sit down opposite me. “Okay, now hold Soppoqninki’s arm out toward me.”
He outstretches the toy’s plush arm, and I give him a demonstration, wrapping my fingers around the toy’s hand, showing him proper form, pretending to struggle, and accepting defeat when I make it look like the noble warrior slams my hand into the table.
I dramatically wipe my palm against my brow, feigning to be out of breath. “Jeez, you were right. He’s no joke.” I lean across the table and point at his four biceps. “I bet you could beat me too!” It’s not much of a lie, given how big he is for his size. The top of his head is already at my ribcage, and while he’s still got the lean lankiness of a growing boy, I’m guessing he’ll be taller than me before his tenth birthday.
Akkal laughs like I’m his favorite standup comedian, and I know I’ve won him over. Now I just need to prove to his dad that I’m not a total disaster.
Zivren beams at his little boy as he ruffles his hair. “Take Soppo to your chair for me, yes? I must chat with June.”
Akkal skips over to the rocking chair and hops into it, wrapping the blanket over him and lifting his beloved warrior into the air while making him dance along to the music.
“You’ve been a nanny before,” he says, more statement than question, but with a smirk that makes me think he’s impressed by how easily I’m able to communicate with his son.
“Yes, I taught at a daycare back on Earth for six years,” I explain, “and I was the lady’s maid and childminder for two of the king’s seven wives back on Etirinu. The king,” I swallow the lump in my throat at the memories, “was my previous owner.”
The smirk fades from Zivren’s lips and is replaced by a narrowed gaze. I don’t know him well enough to read his micro expressions, but if I had to guess, I’d say he’s wary. “You came here from there?”
I nod, worried this will be the thing that ruins my chances of getting this job.
“Why did you flee?”
I chew the inside of my lip as I figure out how to word this. “Well, I was very close with the king’s wives and the children I served. The king was never around, and we were like our own little family.” I need to find the right balance of saying enough to assuage his fears, but not too much about the actual events that transpired before my escape. “The king was often cruel, especially to those closest to him.
“He was becoming more divisive as a leader near the end of my time there. Even members of his party had begun to defy him. Tensions were high in the castle, and the king’s wives were forming a plan to escape.” I clear my throat. “He discovered that plan and things went south. It was…awful. The wives and I all scrambled to leave and ended up separated.” I lift my gaze to his.“If the government of Etirinu knew I was here, I’d be…” I pause, shuddering. “It’d be bad. Very bad.”
His teal eyes are assessing as he watches me. My palms sweat as I wonder what kinds of follow-up questions he’s going to ask. Does he believe my story? Does something seem off about it? There’s only so much I’m willing to share, especially to a person I barely know.
“I, um,” I stammer, eager to fill the silence he seems comfortable basking in. “I’ve never felt like I belonged anywhere, but especially among royals. Even without the king doing…the things he did, had I stayed, it wasn’t a place that would ever feel like home. I was close with the wives I served, but ultimately, I was still their slave.” This is such an embarrassing, admission, but I need him to hear it. “I don’t come from money. The time I spent there was the only time in my forty-three years that I was anywhere close to the upper echelons of society.”
I think I hear him mumble, “It’s not as dazzling as it looks,” but he’s too quiet to know for sure.
“What was that?” I ask, hoping he’ll repeat it.
He shakes his head with another one of his signature grunts that I don’t know how to interpret. Then he changes the subject entirely. “I’m a firefighter, and I mostly work nights. That’s when I’d need someone here with Akkal. He sleeps through the night, so there won’t be much to do other than feed him dinner and let him listen to a few of his stories before bed. I don’t want him here alone during the night.”
“Of course. Who’s staying with him now, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Greshenia. You’ve met her, yes?”
“The lady who manages all the houses along the beach?” When he nods, I let out a rather loud,pfftsound. “That old bat? I’m pretty sure she’d toss me in front of a train for a free pack of those joints she’s always smoking.”
